Pinduoduo's Livestreaming E-commerce Turns Farmer's Child into a Multi-Million Business Owner
(Photo : Pinduoduo's Livestreaming E-commerce Turns Farmer's Child into a Multi-Million Business Owner)

He Shuang, a 24-year-old former flight attendant, talks about quitting her dream job and her road to becoming a multi-million business owner through Pinduoduo's innovative live streaming e-commerce model.

When He Shuang left her home in the Daliang Mountains of Sichuan, China to work as a flight stewardess, her parents were ecstatic. As the child of farmers who grew pomegranates for a living, that meant she had finally "made it out of the mountains." This meant that she was now a step closer to living the life her parents had hoped for her.

But He had bigger plans for her future - and that involved going back to her hometown to become a farmer and an entrepreneur.

At the time, livestreaming in e-commerce was still a growing industry concept, with only a few influencers helping farmers sell their produce. But for He, this meant an opportunity to kickstart her new business and capitalize on the now-multi-billion-dollar industry. "I realized no one was willing to do livestreaming from the field.. so I came back," He shares. 

At the time, Pinduoduo, China's largest interactive e-commerce platform, had already been making waves for its innovative take on digital livestreaming and shopping. In 2018, He knew what she had to do next - partner up with the leading online marketplace for agricultural produce as a merchant.

With Pinduoduo's support and pioneering e-commerce promotions, He live-streamed from her family's pomegranate farm in the mornings and evenings. Off camera, she also continued to maintain other business duties - from picking and sorting to packing fruits for deliveries.

Soon after, all of her efforts paid off. He rose in popularity as a livestreaming host on the site, attracting thousands of new followers and buyers every single day. Other growers and merchants also started reaching out to her for help and support in selling their fruits.

Today, the 24-year-old farmer and entrepreneur is the proud owner of a multi-million pomegranate business. In a short period, He was able to expand her product lineup and sell in-season fruit all year round. 

With a staff of over 12 employees and counting, He has also transformed herself into one of the most prominent vendors in Huili County. Her annual revenue for 2019 also marked the business' highest yet, surpassing 40 million yuan ($5.7 million) in the year alone.

But for He, all of this would've been impossible without Pinduoduo's interactive e-commerce model and promotional efforts. For instance, the site actively pushes merchants' agricultural products on the relevant users' recommendation feeds. This allows buyers to discover and purchase fresh, new, and affordable agricultural products every day. But more than anything, He credits most of her business success as a supplier to Duo Duo Orchard, the site's interactive mini game. 

With over 60 million daily active users, the game allows players to grow their own virtual trees and receive the harvest once ready. Boxes of real fruits are then delivered as rewards for users' hard work and dedication in planting and playing. "I feel pretty proud being part of this," says He, noting her success as one of Pinduoduo's first chosen suppliers for the game.

Like any business owner, He also knows the importance of investing in one's own employees to improve workplace knowledge, performance, and business growth. This is another area where Pinduoduo has been extremely beneficial for the young entrepreneur. With her encouragement, His employees have been receiving additional online training and support from the e-commerce platform to improve their marketing skills.

When asked about her next plans, He shares that her next step is to build the largest cold-storage warehouse in Huili. Together with Pinduoduo's support, she also hopes to acquire new resources to continue helping local primary schools and children in her hometown.

"When the children look at you with gratitude in their eyes, you feel everything you do is worth it," she shares. "This would have been impossible if I remained a flight attendant."

As China's biggest online agricultural marketplace, these initiatives and features are only a few of the many benefits that farmer merchants can expect from Pinduoduo. 

For instance, the site's team purchase model has been proven to boost volume and visibility to the farmer merchants and their products. This pioneering model allows buyers to make product prices lower by buying as a team. As a result, top-selling agricultural products get regularly featured, giving more farmers the chance to attract new customers and boost business revenue.

By rolling out the latest in e-commerce technology, Pinduoduo hopes to increase agricultural productivity and boost food safety and security. All of this is part of the e-commerce and internet giant's enduring vision of bringing the best of the digital economy to farmers and rural communities in China. 

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